Jackalopes and the Moon
by camillexelisabeth
Summary: What happened to the boy Artemis turned into a jackalope? What exactly did he do to deserve the wrath of the Hunter? Called her one little name, that's what. One-shot R&R.


_I haven't seen a FanFiction about what happened to the boy who was turned into a jackalope by Artemis, so I decided to write a one-shot about it. Enjoy(:_

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_Jackalopes and the Moon_

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Artemis crept through the brush and readied her bow. The elk munched carelessly on a patch of icy grass. It didn't see the goddess, nor did it see any of her attendents.

The Hunters crouched behind Artemis and held their bows at ready. Artemis signaled for them to put them down when the elk shifted slightly to the left.

Artemis continued stalking the animal and she notched an arrow. Her eyes locked in on the beast and she let the arrow free. It danced through the air and swiftly impailed itself into the heart of the elk. Artemis straightened and sighed. She was getting bored.

The Huntresses gathered behind her as she blessed the animal. Within minutes, they broke camp and began eating. Artemis stroked the head of a content wolf and sighed again. The goddess was bored, to put it simply. Monsters were few, for some strange reason, and no mortal animal posed any challenge to her at all.

Artemis fiddled with her bow, untying the string and then reattaching it. Zoë Nightshade approached the goddess.

"My Lady, what troubles you?" she asked.

Artemis shrugged. "I feel deprived of excitement. The Hunt has been quite dull lately," she stated slowly.

Zoë raised an eyebrow but didn't sat anything. Artemis continued playing with her bow when she heard a twig snap. Immediatly, all of the Hunters sprung to life, aiming their bows toward the noise. Artemis waved a hand and they all lowered their weapons.

A person stumbled into the camp. It was obviously a boy, maybe fifteen or sixteen. A collective gasp filled the camp.

The boy looked up and smiled. "I'm in heaven," he mumbled.

Artemis frowned. "You have ten seconds to leave, boy," she said angrily.

The boy stood. He brushed the dirt off his pants and smiled at Artemis. The goddess returned a steely glare.

"I'm Austin. And who are you?" he said and extended a tanned hand toward the goddess.

Artemis just glared at him and said, "I am Artemis."

Austin raised an eyebrow. "Interesting name." He slowly took his hand back. "What are you lovely ladies doing in the middle of the mountains?"

Zoë rolled her eyes. "What are you doing in the middle of the mountains, child?" she asked harshly.

Austin winced at her tone, but soon regained his earlier confidence. "Hiking with my friends. They were too slow, so I left 'em in the dust," he said smuggly.

Artemis let out a sharp laugh. "Who do you think you are, boy?" she said.

Austin frowned a bit. "Why do you keep calling me boy? My name is Austin," he said angrily.

Zoë stepped closer to Artemis and curled her lips into a snarl. "Do not speak to Lady Artemis like that!" she yelled.

Artemis held up a hand. "Zoë, calm down. I can handle this," she said quietly.

Austin smiled again. "Sorry, beautiful," he said and winked at Artemis.

The group of Hunters gasped again. Zoë growled but Artemis merely laughed. "Child, if you knew who I was, you would be cowering in fear," the goddess said coldly.

Austin raised an eyebrow. "If you knew who I was, you'd come with me to one of those tents," he said and winked again.

Zoë's mouth dropped open. "My Lady!" she cried. "Do not take that insult lying down!"

Artemis turned her glare to Zoë. "I said I could deal with the child! Stand down, Zoë," she commanded. Zoë shot a glare at Austin and stepped back.

Artemis turned her harsh glare back to the boy. "And who are you?" she asked calmly.

Austin smiled smuggly. "Austin Young. I'm a junior at Boulder High, so you probably know me from there. You know, the guy everyone wants to get with," he said confidently.

Artemis showed a look of false intreage. "Really now? Tell me, child," she said. "Have you ever hunted? Few seem to hunt the old ways."

Austin wrinkled his nose. "Hunting is..." He paused, looking for the right words, but apparently none came to his mind and he crossed his arms. "My dad took me once, but I was no good."

The goddess frowned. "That is much too bad, boy. I have a talent for hunting," she said coolly. Her hand curled into a fist at her side, but she contained her annoyance, if only for a bit longer.

The boy shrugged. "To each his own."

Artemis smiled again. "Child, tell me again, what is your name?"

The boy frowned deeply. "I'm not a child! And my name is Austin," he said crossly.

"Oh, you are a child to me," Artemis said, waving a hand.

"Whatever. You're a weird girl. But hey, you're hot, so it doesn't matter," Austin said, stepping forward toward Artemis.

The Hunters leaned forward, posed to attack, but Artemis waved a hand. "I don't believe you should be advancing upon me, boy," the goddess said coldly.

Austin smiled and winked again. "I think I should," he said confidently and grabbed Artemis's hand.

Artemis's open palm struck the boy's face with a loud _crack_. Austin clutched his cheek and stood up straight. "What was that for?" he yelled.

Artemis glared coldly at him. "You have ten seconds to leave, Austin Young, before I do things far worse than slap you," she said harshly.

Austin stepped forward. "What could a little girl do to me?" he asked.

Artemis smiled. She began raising her hand when a small girl grabbed her wrist. Artemis looked at her in shock and the girl let go. "Spare him," she whispered.

Artemis sighed. "Why should I, Lena?" she asked.

"Because as stupid and childish as the boy is, he does not deserve death," Lena said carefully.

Artemis turned her glare to Austin. The boy looked at her with genuine fear and the goddess sighed again. Austin coughed and said, "Look, I don't know what you have against me—"

Zoë cut him off. "Do not flatter yourself, child. We have disdain for boys, not you specifically," she said harshly.

Austin grinned. "Ah, I get it. You're _lesbian!" _he proclaimed.

The Hunters' eyes were wide with shock and Artemis allowed herself a moment of fury. "You shall pay for that boy!" she cried.

Austin's eyes widened and Lena whispered, "I tried to stop her."

Artemis turned her steely gaze to Lena, but her eyes softened. "I will not kill the boy. Just turn him into the true animal he is," she promised.

Lena smiled a tad and waved to the boy. "You owe me one," she said and skipped back to the group of girls. She was smiling, oblivious to the fear radiating from the boy.

Austin gulped. Artemis smiled and raised her hand. Austin began shrinking and his limbs sprouted fur. His eyes became small and beady and his ears grew larger. Antlers sprouted from his head and his teeth became huge.

Austin looked up at the goddess and screeched as she picked him up by the scruff of his furry neck. "I hope you enjoy being a jackalope, boy," she said coldly and set him down carefully.

The former boy sprinted out of the camp and the last thing he saw was Artemis snapping her fingers. Within a blink, the entire camp was gone. The animal stopped running and returned to the empty site. He curled up in a tiny ball and a little tear escaped his black eyes.

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Artemis returned three nights later, and the animal was still there, frozen over with ice and half-starved to death.

The goddess picked up the dying animal and placed a blessing upon him. The tiny thing sighed as the ice melted off of him and he felt warm. Artemis set him down and placed an orange carrot in front of him. He nibbled on it and looked up at the beautiful girl sitting next to him.

She sighed. "I am truly sorry, boy," she said softly. "It was for the best."

The little animal curled into a ball and looked up at her with a curious expression. The moon was full and the light seemed to bend around her, creating a veil of light over her lean body.

Artemis let a tear escape her eye. "I feel so bitter sometimes," she whispered. "So many mellinia I have kept my oath. I have no intension of breaking it, but sometimes I feel like perhaps if I wasn't so alone, I wouldn't be so angry." She wiped the tear away and sighed.

The jackalope nibbled on his carrot and the goddess rubbed in between his antlers. The animal closed his eyes and fell asleep. "May you stay safe, child. I give you my blessing," Artemis whispered.

When the boy woke, she was gone.

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_Well. I feel like a loser, but Austin Young is an ex-boyfriend of mine. So he's now a jackalope. Ahh, revenge. Though he won't read this, it felt good._

_And the moral of this story is: Don't call Artemis a lesbian, or she'll turn you into a jackalope(:_

_If you could take the time to review this, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks(:_

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_**ψcamille elisabethψ**_


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